Fiscalini bandage wrapped Cheddar

Last Updated: 08 May 2014 | |

Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar Award winning cheesemaker Jorge Mariano Gonzalez handcrafts and inspects every 60 pound wheel of Fiscalini Farms' bandage-wrapped raw-milk cheddar. It is quite rare for an English-style farmhouse cheddar like this to be produced in the U.S.

All natural ingredients are used in the cheesemaking process. Made from Fiscalini's own milk and aged for 18 months on the property, this cheese was voted "Best Farmhouse Cheese" at the 2002 American Cheese Society Awards. It's a wonderful example of the success of the artisan cheese movement in the U.S. today. Rich, buttery and sharp, Fiscalini Farmstead Cheddar is a world-class cheese.

James Montgomery maker of England's Montgomery Cheddar, calls this the best American Cheddar.

Fiscalini has a firm, crumbly straw colored flesh; a nutty, slightly smoky, earthy taste; and a more rounder than most aged cheddars.

Bandage refers to a traditional aging method in which the rind is wrapped - bandaged- in linen to ensure consistent flavor development across the entire wheel. The result is spectacular. Each bite hits you with 3 or 4 different tastes at once, each complementing the other beautifully. There's the dry sharpness of a well-aged Cheddar, rounded by the buttery texture, topped off by the cleanest milky flavor imaginable.